Lets Rumble

[basil]

Hi Almosters,

Id like to start by thanking @Giorgio for organizing this drive and the other marshals and intermediates for the support.

The trip was in Al Faqaa which was a long way but totally worth it . The briefing before the drive reminded me of my first newbie drive with Giorgio where I learned a lot and the level although described as low, felt crazyy. Today's drive was a perfect combination of simplicity and thrill, learnt a lot today. It was really windy and the flying sand made it a lot more exciting.

Thanks,again for the amazing drive. looking forward to our next drives :))

[Moustafa19]

Hello Everyone

Was exciting morning started by taking my son friends with us as they were waiting this from long time ( you can see how happy they are ) and the heat didn’t stop them to enjoy playing out side at each stop point

Reaching the meeting point in very accessible climate and meeting everyone with his special smile

Thank you so much Giorgio , Track was nice and carefully chosen

Daggerfall has spent huge energy and effort to support the convoy

Support team was all Aron and jumping when it’s required

The end was also very exciting for me as now I HAVE 10 TRIPS

Thanks for all the convoy to make my day

Regards ,,,
Moustafa Selim

[giorgio]

This early morning drive took place in a well familiar place for most of the members
Unfortunately the vegetation has expanded alot in that area but still it is a nice place to practice mid size climbs and arches

The convoy was mixed with drivers from 3 up to 9 drives

We had couple of pop outs and several second tries and assisted recoveries

lessons learned from this drive was the momentum, radio communication and proper speed approaching the top of the dune and straight crossing

The convoy had many challenges to negotiate and the delays were fairly balanced

I would like to thank all the supporting team and supporting Marshall along with all the drivers that participated on this lovely morning drive


Till next time drive safe

[Tomvanhouten]

Hi everyone,

I looked forward to this drive as I missed driving with Giorgio and Daggerfall for some time.

As always, the briefing with Giorgio doesn't take any longer then needed and off we went. A lot of plants, but still smooth sailing under the lead car's track. Low dunes, medium dunes, slopes, wind, fast, slow and off course the assists...I think we experienced a lot in those early hours!

I had a good time this morning and thank you everyone,

Tom

[brett]

Dear Almosters

Saturday morning started off already hot and humid 36C at 6am. The meeting point at Al Faqar was different from our usual start point, so when I arrived I double checked the coordinates just to be sure

Once everyone arrived @giorgio took attendance an positioned the convoy places. With @dargerfall as floating marshal, @victorria 2nd lead, myself, @tomvanhouttan and @petr spread in the convoy and @laarni as sweeper.
The convoy was a mix of 10- drivers some only having had 2 or 3 drivers only. The chosen area was interesting very soft sand, lots of bushes and then the wind picked adding another dimension to the challengers. @giorgio picked his way through the terrain creating a reasonable track for the hapless convoy to follow.
The overall flow of the convoy was not ideal with multiple second tries, popouts, stucks and even a tire change. At times the convoy became disjointed as drivers struggled to overcome the challenges in front of them. Having said that contributing to the issue was a lack of timely radio communication to announce 2nd tries and stucks. As mentioned, the heat and the wind added to the challenges.
But in the end, everyone completely the drive safely and headed off with smiles all around.
Personally, I felt a bit rusty as it was my first drive in about a month, still getting to grips with my new suspension – so still lots to work on for me.

I am looking forward to the – would be Friday the 13th Drive next Saturday as that is always an amazing event. Hopefully I can watch the All Blacks Vs South Africa rugby test in the morning before heading to Sweihan.

[Daggerfall]

Hi Almosters,

The conditions were perfect for a challenging drive.

Hot and humid weather , a little sand storm and a leading marshall motivated to give some "trouble" to the convoy

Our leader @giorgio took us through a lot of different challenges and I believe this was a great opportunity to improve our skills . Many second tries, Stuck cars, self recoveries, pop-out and tire changes are the proof of good exercise of new skills and development.

I would like to share my observations about the points we need to improve

1. You need to make it a habit to communicate your situation with the rest of the convoy all the time and immediately when you clear a dune or do a second try for the safety of yourself and others
2. Keep proper distance to be able to observe the car in front of you to have a better understanding of the obstacle in front of you. If the front drops fast it means it is a sharp crest if not its flat on top etc.
3. I know you all want to help but getting different instructions or advise from many people will confuse the driver in trouble so leave this to the supporting Marshalls or the assigned support.
4. Again , I know you want to help but don't move out of the convoy if there is any incident . Imagine all doing this , it will be a chaos. Just keep your car and walk to the area if the Marshalls asked you to come to see a recovery or fixing pop outs.
5. Never ever overtake a car get stuck or doing second tries. This is very dangerous!
6. Keep your car straight all the time when you are going down and don't turn your wheels before you reach to the flat area otherwise you will have a pop out because all the weight of the car will be on the side wall of your tire (Unless you have to counter a slide to left or right)

Hope this was a good opportunity to improve our skills and you all enjoyed it.

Thanks to the organizer and the support and all participated

See you next time

[Vika]

Hello everyone!!

For me, every drive that suits my level is always an opportunity to learn skills, especially by following our marshals, each of whom has his own style, which means new tracks and new tricks. This drive was organized by @Giorgio and it was my first experience with his leadership. Long-awaited Saturday, meeting place Al Faqaa, time 7.00am.

There are not many women on this planet who are ready to wake up at 4.30 in the morning on their day off to drive through the desert in a burning summer. But I am one of them, and I am absolutely happy to be her.

I don’t even know how it happens in my life, even if I intentionally want to punish someone, it turns out absolutely the opposite. My son got a big fine for his driving style and I took him with me so that he could at least work somehow. For example, to deflate and set the flag But it wasn’t there, he immediately turned out to be the star of this drive))). All the participants, seeing him, passed by and asked: Ooooh, is this the same 1000 dirham ???)))) In short, it was fun until @Giorgio appointed me as the second lead. Which I have no regrets about.

The drive was full of sudden climbs, the weather was not quite conducive, such as on the edge due to strong wind and sandstorm nothing was visible. However, for me the drive was withoutany situation. As masters say about me : " Vika has or no show, or a big show!)))) Of course we had a huge number of second attempts, stucks, and pop out. As a result, my beloved son decided to join our club and take part in the next member club drive. I wish him great luck.

My beloved @Laarni, thank you for being a sweeper, @Dagerfall watched over our convoy in the role of a floating marshal, ensuring the safety of all of us, all the intermediates thank you for your support and rescue. @Giorgio for organising that amazing drive!

Looking forward to see you soon.

Yours Vika

[Paddy]

What do I look for whole week?????

Answer is simple, Am I going to desert this weekend? Thanks to @giorgio got this drive on the app. Without wasting a second, I created one reminder and registered for the drive within first few seconds.

Now the wait started, trust me this is the most difficult part.

Now it was the drive day. Woke up with excitement and was listening to my fav music while driving towards the meeting point.

All the way I was thinking I might be the first one to reach, but when I arrived to the meeting point I found everyone is already present and I might be one of the last ones who joined.

@Giorgio started a little slow and kept on increasing the level based on the response he was getting from the following cars. @daggerfall was keeping a close eye on all members and providing timely support/recovery instructions.

In this specific drive I was all focused on how @Brett is approaching the dunes and how much momentum he needed in order to successfully climb. I focused on staying in control of the car all the time and achieving drops with minimal brakes. It helped me completing the ride with no retry and recovery. It was a very satisfying when I was able to keep up with the drivers ahead of me. Over all drive did have some recoveries and lesson learned from @Daggerfall while we were driving.

I am sure it will help us all in our next/upcoming drives.

This report got a little bit delayed due to hectic work schedule last week, but its always better to be late than never.

Again thankful to @Giorgio, @daggerfall and @alshamsi_m for the wonderful times and memories.

~Br
Paddy